State Sen. Gary Siplin faces campaign-finance complaint

October 9, 2008|By Aaron Deslatte, Tallahassee Bureau

TALLAHASSEE -- Orlando state Sen. Gary Siplin faces a complaint that he may have committed campaign-finance violations ranging from accepting excessive contributions to spending campaign funds on personal expenses such as food and gas.

The complaint was filed under the name Ivonne Bonett, who lists an Orlando street address, a week after a separate complaint was filed and quickly dismissed against Siplin's opponent in the District 19 Senate race, Republican Belinda Ortiz.

Bonett did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday, nor did either candidate. Siplin's campaign manager, Randolph Bracy, said he was unaware of the complaint.

But Sen. Al Lawson of Tallahassee, the incoming Senate Democratic leader, said the complaint was intended to create negative publicity for Siplin heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

"When you're running behind in a campaign, you start doing anything you can to distort," said Lawson, who oversees Democratic Senate campaigns.

"It's not unusual. It's some attorney associated with the Republican Party who wrote it. . . . That's the way it happens, even on our side."

The filing makes more than a dozen allegations of finance violations.

It claims Siplin, during his primary earlier this year, accepted twice the $500 individual contribution limits from three different groups: Access Health Solutions, Florida Phosphate Council, and Florida Property and Casualty Association.

The complaint also suggests he skirted state law with a range of "curious" expenses -- from $265 in "dues" paid to the Omega PSI PHI Fraternity, to a $100 "contribution" to the Have Faith Hair and Nail Salon, and a $117 "contribution" to the Restoration of Life Mission in Christ church.

Florida's campaign laws prohibit making contributions to religious or charitable groups in exchange for political support.

The law also generally requires campaign money be spent for the purpose of electing a candidate.

The complaint alleges Sip- lin withdrew more petty cash from his campaign coffers than the law allows and reported spending $10,000 in one month on "rent" to HZ Construction, which owns the building where Siplin's Orlando office is located.

He also reported buying $13,000 in money orders from Bank of America and logged the expenses as "money orders for poll workers."

Siplin also reported more than 30 payments for fuel, totaling more than $1,800, and more than 40 "food" payments -- mostly to restaurants -- totaling $1,700.

"An investigation must be conducted to determine if Sen. Siplin is offsetting his personal living expenses with funds in his campaign account," the complaint reads.

Lawson said state Democratic Party staff had noticed some of the campaign expenditures and asked Siplin to explain them. He told them the food expenses were to feed volunteers who spent time canvassing neighborhoods in his district.

"They have a lot of volunteers, and they feed them," Lawson said.

Last week's complaint against Ortiz -- suggesting she lobbied in Tallahassee without registering -- sparked a bitter exchange between the state Democratic and Republican parties, which accused each other's candidates of ethical misdeeds.

Republican Party of Florida spokeswoman Erin VanSickle said the campaign-financing issues were "par for the course for Gary Siplin."